Our newly anointed Messiah – I mean inaugurated President - B. Hussein Obama's plan for rebuilding our nations roads, bridges and other interstate infrastructure as the means of getting the economy back on the up & up won't work. At least not to the greater extent that it is claimed to be targeted for.
Don't get me wrong. It's a very good idea to maintain, build or rebuild our national infrastructure. But that's why each state has it's own budget for roads and bridges. That's why each state imposes it's own tax on gasoline as well as tolls and car registrations and other hidden taxes. All that money is supposed to be used already for maintaining the roads and bridges!!
So where did it all go? (Hint: Spent on social welfare and pork programs – anything but the roads and bridges it was meant for!)
But more specifically, rebuilding roads/bridges etc. is a 1930's plan being thrown at a 21st century economy. In the 1920's, 30's and 40's the majority of lower and middle class people worked in the blue collar manufacturing and skilled labor fields (like metal workers, welders, electricians, plumbers etc). That's fine because manufacturing and blue collar skilled work was the mainstay of the American economy back then.
But not today!
For 20 years at least American manufacturing and skilled blue collar work as sharply declined and it isn't coming back. Today, the American economy is based on technology, information, and services (in which I'm including retail for the sake of this discussion).
As such, people who lost good paying jobs in technology, information and services simply are not the type of people who are going to benefit and get jobs from a new highway or bridge project.
For example, a laid-off 45 year old CPA with 20+ years of accounting experience is very unlikely to apply for a job as a construction worker at base union pay scale. Neither is a network engineer, computer programmer, financial analyst, lawyer (no jokes please), software project manager, etc etc etc. These people need high paying white collar professional jobs! And those can only come from a growing economy and hands-off government that produces an environment where people are willing to start (or expand) these kinds of businesses.
And before you say "That CPA will take a construction job is that's the only way to get a pay check!", I agree. But think of it! What does that do to the economy when you have highly educated/trained and experienced professionals who are near their top earning years in their professions suddenly tossed down to the bottom of the ladder again? Do you think that CPA will be able to make his mortgage payments on junior union scale? Do you think he's going to buy a new car? Go on a vacation? Have renovations to his house? Pay the college bill for his kids? And generally spend all the money he otherwise would which itself stimulates the economy.
No. He won't be able to. A job is not a job!
So while I agree our roads and bridges need work, this is faaaaaar from the forward out-of-the-box thinking I expect from our Messiah.
Don't get me wrong. It's a very good idea to maintain, build or rebuild our national infrastructure. But that's why each state has it's own budget for roads and bridges. That's why each state imposes it's own tax on gasoline as well as tolls and car registrations and other hidden taxes. All that money is supposed to be used already for maintaining the roads and bridges!!
So where did it all go? (Hint: Spent on social welfare and pork programs – anything but the roads and bridges it was meant for!)
But more specifically, rebuilding roads/bridges etc. is a 1930's plan being thrown at a 21st century economy. In the 1920's, 30's and 40's the majority of lower and middle class people worked in the blue collar manufacturing and skilled labor fields (like metal workers, welders, electricians, plumbers etc). That's fine because manufacturing and blue collar skilled work was the mainstay of the American economy back then.
But not today!
For 20 years at least American manufacturing and skilled blue collar work as sharply declined and it isn't coming back. Today, the American economy is based on technology, information, and services (in which I'm including retail for the sake of this discussion).
As such, people who lost good paying jobs in technology, information and services simply are not the type of people who are going to benefit and get jobs from a new highway or bridge project.
For example, a laid-off 45 year old CPA with 20+ years of accounting experience is very unlikely to apply for a job as a construction worker at base union pay scale. Neither is a network engineer, computer programmer, financial analyst, lawyer (no jokes please), software project manager, etc etc etc. These people need high paying white collar professional jobs! And those can only come from a growing economy and hands-off government that produces an environment where people are willing to start (or expand) these kinds of businesses.
And before you say "That CPA will take a construction job is that's the only way to get a pay check!", I agree. But think of it! What does that do to the economy when you have highly educated/trained and experienced professionals who are near their top earning years in their professions suddenly tossed down to the bottom of the ladder again? Do you think that CPA will be able to make his mortgage payments on junior union scale? Do you think he's going to buy a new car? Go on a vacation? Have renovations to his house? Pay the college bill for his kids? And generally spend all the money he otherwise would which itself stimulates the economy.
No. He won't be able to. A job is not a job!
So while I agree our roads and bridges need work, this is faaaaaar from the forward out-of-the-box thinking I expect from our Messiah.
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